Kiev has released photos of a damaged bridge used to transport weapons in the Russian hinterland.
Ukraine has suggested that it was behind the attack on a railway bridge in Russia's Samara region.
Kiev's military intelligence agency boasted on Monday that the bridge explosion had “paralyzed” traffic in the area. Attacks on Russian infrastructure have become regular, but Kiev's comments are rare.
“A railway bridge over the Chapayevka River in the Samara region of Russia was blown up. On March 4, 2024, at approximately 6:00 a.m. (2:20 GMT), the bridge was damaged by an explosion in its support structure,” Ukraine said. The Defense Intelligence Agency said on the message site Telegram. The post included a photo of the damaged bridge.
Military intelligence said Russia was using the railway to transport ammunition from a factory in the town of Chapaevsk, about 1,000 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.
The post stopped short of directly claiming responsibility for the attack, but Ukrainian intelligence services rarely comment on attacks in Russia.
“Given the nature of the damage to the railway bridge, its use will be impossible for a long time,” the statement said.
The incident was the latest in a series of explosions targeting Russia's rail network, which Kiev claims is being used by the Russian government to move troops and equipment used in the invasion of Ukraine. ing.
Chapaevsk is home to the weapons manufacturer JSC Polymer, which was sanctioned by the United States in December.
Russia's railway operator earlier said that “intervention by unauthorized persons” caused the accident, but that no one was injured.
“Rail traffic will be suspended in this section for the time being,” it added.
Russia's Federal Security Service in the Samara region told state news agency TASS on Monday that there were “no deaths or injuries,” and the area around the bridge was cordoned off by security forces.
The Russian government has not yet commented on the Ukrainian statement. The front lines in eastern Ukraine are largely mired in trench warfare, and with the war now in its third year, it is difficult to verify claims by both sides.
In a sign of Kiev's growing confidence in attacks on Russian territory, Kiev military officials said in January that “invisible adversaries of the Putin regime” had burned down railways and that Russian troops had attacked Russian troops in Saratov, Yaroslavl, and other Russian cities. They announced that they had burnt down a facility believed to be used for logistics. Dzerzhinsk.
